I'm fine thank you and you?

Kazuyoshi Miura is the Stanley Matthews of Japanese football. He is still playing, after a nomadic career, at the age of 44. When he was 15 he left Japan and joined Pele’s former club Santos. He was not as successful an export as Yasuhiko Okuda, the first Japanese expat footballer who blazed a trail in Germany in the 70s and 80s, or the Nakata’s, Nakamura’s, Honda’s and Kagawa’s that followed his lead, but he did not disgrace himself.

In a career that visited Italy, Croatia and Australia it is in Brazil that his most powerful statement was made. For a 15 year old to go from Japan, where the level of football in the pre J.League 80s was rudimentary, on his own with no Portuguese and carve a professional career for himself is worthy of praise.

To still be playing in the J.League 2, where the standard is a long way above rudimentary, is a fitting footnote to this unique career.

Japan 1 Qatar 1
Monday July 9th 2007, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Japan drew with Qatar in their opening match of the 2007 Asian Championships in Thailand on Monday. In a stuttering display Japan played with a nervousness that has come to characterize them recently. While they passed the ball efficiently decisive moments of consequence were lacking. They were too polite. Furious coach Ivica Osim was anything but, branding his team “a bunch of amateurs,” for conceding a late equalizer in a game they had lead since the 61st minute. Reducing his interpreter to tears in the process.

Qatar defended resolutely and ruggedly but posed little threat to the Japanese defence until their goal in injury time. The naturalized Uruguayan Sebastian Quintana smacked a free kick through a porous wall and killed Japanese hopes of victory.

Eintracht Frankfurt striker Takahara Naohiro gave Japan the lead with a goal of impish spontaneity. Pivoting on his right leg, spinning away from goal on the edge of the six yard box, Takahara used the inside of his left foot to divert Konno Yasuyuki’s cross past Qatar keeper Saqr.

The goal did little to settle the Japanese. Midfielders Endo and Nakamura Shunsuke worked tirelessly to up the tempo but while they dominated possession Japan never looked comfortable. With Takahara operating in solitary confinement at the top of a 4-5-1 looked both overwhelmed by expectation and dumbfounded by a stubborn rival. Qatar, through hard work and persistence, were able to harass and distract their opponents, who have won the last two Asian Championships.

Nakamura Shunsuke fired inches wide from a free kick and provided several other dangerous set pieces but his teammates seemed all too happy to pass on responsibility. Takahara should have killed the game in the 80th minute but tamely side footed over with the goal at his mercy. It was characteristic of a fumbling performance from the defending champions. Japan, and fuming coach Osim, will hope for an improved display against the U.A.E. on Friday.

Japan: Kawaguchi Yoshikatsu (Jubilo Iwata); Kaji Akira (Gamba Osaka), Nakazawa Yuji (Yokohama F –Marinos), Abe Yuki (Urawa Reds), Endo Ysuhito (Gamba Osaka), Konno Yasuyuki (FC Tokyo), Nakamura Shunsuke (Celtic), Nakamura Kengo (Kawasaki Frontale), Suzuki Keita (Urawa Reds), Yamagashi Satoru (JEF United), Takahara (Eintracht Frankfurt).

Qatar: Saqr; Abdulla, Sattam Shmmari, Koni, Al-Bloushi, Al-Hammad, Mubarak, Rizik, Quintana, Yasser.

Attendance: 6,000.

My man of the match: Endo or Shunsuke – the only beacons of quality in a fog of confused mediocrity.